Comments on: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companionshttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/
Men's Interests and LifestyleTue, 31 Mar 2015 12:20:00 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1By: Philhttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-1075589
Wed, 23 Jul 2014 03:39:00 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-1075589I am perturbed that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier wasn’t included on this list. SBTs are very loyal companions and are much less likely to bite their owners than several dogs included here.
]]>By: Mary Annehttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-660988
Fri, 09 May 2014 11:43:42 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-660988love the information. I am looking for a companion for my 80 year old father, he is alone since mom passed two years ago. I would like to find a dog that has been trained and is just lay back, big enough so dad won’t trip over him

thank you
Mary Anne

]]>By: Lukehttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-617482
Sun, 13 Apr 2014 15:38:07 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-617482Please do another article. I understand that this one might be a more tedious article to write, but extremely appreciated.
]]>By: Kevinhttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-575921
Mon, 10 Mar 2014 04:21:09 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-575921My vote would go to the German Shepherd. Our family has been blessed with two shepherds and they have been the most loyal dogs anyone could ever ask for.
]]>By: Garyhttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-575693
Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:27:11 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-575693Love my husky mutts and wouldnt want anything else. If you choose a husky your choosing a child not a dog! They really are a special kind of dog.
]]>By: Bryanhttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-448768
Sat, 07 Sep 2013 17:16:10 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-448768Further, if I may, purebred dogs can have issues as people are Notting in the comments. But only if the local breed-supervisor is not active in preventing inbreeding. Some people will not understand the genetic implications of breeding two related dogs with each other, even be aware that they are related.

As for mutts, look up the concept of ‘ heterosis’.

Simply … any two animal from previously isolated genetic pools will likely have stronger, healthier offspring than the animals in the isolated gene pools they came from.

]]>By: Bryanhttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-448763
Sat, 07 Sep 2013 16:56:47 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-448763Oh man… life would be so empty without my dog. I love big, purpose bred dogs, my favourite (and probable choice for the rest of my life) is the German Shepherd. In my experience, they easily compare to Collie breeds in intelligence. What they have dragging them back down is stubbornness. Not outright defiance … More like a small child asking ‘why?’ When you tell it to do something.

If you spend time looking into the history of the breed, it effectively being a Wolf-dog hybrid created by an ex member of the Phalanx society about 110 years ago to fill the same function as collies, and how wolves function with regards to socialising … it becomes very clear why they have the reputation for biting.

To make the perfect example … Two of the dogs I’ve had over the past 15 years, Gigalo is a loving family hound who loves playing with small children and other dogs (of the same breed), while Merlin would kill anyone who even tried stepping foot on our property. Other than that they have an identical personality.

The reason is simple, Gigalo was well socialised from the day we brought him home at about 8 weeks old, Merlin we only got at around 3 months old. He’d spent the first 3 months at a breeder, living in a concrete run. Those essential early times when he should have been learning what the world contained, getting familiar with everything in life, were taken from him. As a result, Merlin saw everything besides the immediate family as foreign. To be defended against. Gigalo recognises other Shepherds but not other dogs because all the socialising took place at a German Shepherd club.

The point is that German Shepherds are more Wolf like in that they need proper socialising, which means that people can screw it up much easier than some other breeds, as Wolves start bonding and exploring weeks earlier than dogs, and take days longer than dogs to form a bond when brought home as a pup.

If done, they are the most amazing and loyal hounds you will ever find. If failed, they are more suspicious and defensive than many other breeds, and thus … biting happens.

]]>By: Erikhttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-429817
Mon, 08 Jul 2013 19:24:55 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-429817While I’d say Barney Stinson from HIMYM went from pretty fun to way too much (and quite pathetic at times) as the seasons went, he did get one thing right.

Article 3 of the Bro code states: “If a bro gets a dog, it must be at least as tall as his knee when full grown.”

I grew up with several miniature dachhounds and while they are often manly in attitude, the size is less so. Perhaps we should heed Barneys advice? ;)

]]>By: Don C.http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-400562
Thu, 23 May 2013 07:02:43 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-400562Best dog I’ve had (currently have) is a border terrier. Bright, friendly and a tenacious hunter of rats. Also just likes being a lap dog. Not as hyper as some of the other terriers and definately looks like a “guys” small dog.
]]>By: Bradleyhttp://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/03/03/choosing-mans-best-friend-a-guide-to-canine-companions/comment-page-1/#comment-397390
Mon, 20 May 2013 21:37:38 +0000http://artofmanliness.com/?p=2019#comment-397390@ Jeff. My neighbors have two pitbulls and they seem like great dogs. They’re goofy and really funny. I think this breed gets such a bum rap b/c of the media’s sensationalism and b/c of the sort of trashy people that fight these dogs. The breed doesn’t deserve it.
]]>